I guess I can see butterflies and balloons together...Perhaps it was the wedding's theme. But really, it's not hard to roll gumpaste or fondant in order to make 'string'. And what's up with the balloons with the string that loops? Someone must have a very bad cookie cutter or electronic cutting machine image! Lame.

It's honestly very well done. Getting buttercream that smooth and straight edged is quite a feat. I think the blue color is just fine too. But yes, those balloons (as I assume they are suppose to be) just don't look much like balloons.

That's too bad, because I actually like the color and those butterflies are really cute! And it's not fondant, which is to be commended, but the icing is still appealingly smooth. Could have been just a very nice, simple cake in a Wedgwood style.

WV: berver - one who dishes out slices of a cake wreck."Please feel free to tell your berver if you prefer a slice with extra... balloons."

Awww....sad! I mean, I actually like the colors (I'm a sucker for Wedgewood) and the butterflies are lovely. I even like the idea of the balloons...and you'd better believe that if I EVER decide to do a balloon-festooned cake, I will come back here and find that post from a few months ago that showed the difference between SPERM and BALLOONS.

Wow. I get to see a cake that's likely to be pulled BEFORE it gets pulled! How'd I get so lucky?

And I agree that the butterflies are really, really well done. I even like the color. But the 'balloons'... I just don't get it. I'd never have thought to put butterflies and balloons together - even when the balloons actually look like balloons.

What I want to know is, why do the wreckorators think that balloon strings wriggle like flagella? I've seen a lot of balloons, and I've never seen one with a creepy twisty flagellum string. Are wreckorators from another planet? Actually that would explain a lot. Hmm...

I'll agree with others here-- the cake is actually quite well done, so I don't think it's the bakers fault; likely the wedding couple. So don't yank it!!

The colour's the exact same blue-grey I have in my study; works well there, and I can see it making nice modern bridesmaid's dresses, but I'm not sure about on a cake but that's just differing taste not wreck.

As for the sperm-- I really don't think those are balloons!-- I'm assuming shotgun wedding of a bride with a sense of humour? I hope. But yup, that definitely earned a "WTF" stare!

There once was a cake iced in blueMeant to feed 'bout a hundred or 2Schools of sickly white spermMade the guests all say "Erm.I'm not going to eat it, are you?"

Of course, I really wanted to do the quintessential limerick, but I had trouble with the *last* rhyme, so I decided to make it interactive. Pease use the word bank at the end of the poem -- or you can use one of your own -- for some good, clean fun:

There once was a cake from NantucketTopped with rolled fondant sperm by the bucketBaker said "That looks bad.The bride's gonna be mad.But for what they pay me, they can ___________ it."

Word Bank: Muck: They can drop it in muck.Tuck: They can tuck in and eat it anyway.Yuck: They can look at it and say "yuck".Or, choose your own! ;)

This reminds me of an episode of Amazing Wedding Cakes and that young baker featured on there did a black and white wedding cake that appeared to be covered in sperm. His website is flash so you can't link a pic but even though it was oohed and aahhed over all I saw was the black sperm on it. Maybe I spend too much time reading Jen's comments. =)

I have to say, I don't think those are supposed to be balloons. I think they're supposed to be sperm. Which makes me wish I had been invited to this wedding...there's got to be a good story there somewhere. At any rate, if someone requested a blue wedding cake with butterflies and sperm, this cake is a success!

These are the cakes that make me sad, because you can see the baker actually does have some skill: the buttercream is pretty smooth (bonus points for even attempting to do all buttercream), the butterflies are pretty, the tiers are well shaped and well proportioned... it's just a really, really unfortunate attempt at balloons or whatever they are supposed to be.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the wreckerator intended to depict butterflies emerging from their cocoons (notice some of the lower "spermies" seem to have something emerging from them--horrors at the thought, like "Alien" sperm!). The butterflies are well done, but the cocoons, well, they aren't really cocoon-y, are they?

I haven't written a poem since high school, but I really feel we all have a duty to at least try, given this great fodder. Here goes:

There once was a bride named Mariahand butterflies were the symbol of her style-a.Her intended was young,as if still unsprung,so their cake was covered in pupae!

WV ralli: A meeting or conclave of the word-witty, especially convened to sarcastically comment on the missteps of those engaged in the flour arts.

Tadpole kinda rhymes with eyehole... Just sayin'. Also, I just watched Silence of the Lambs again last night. I never knew it could be used as inspiration for a wedding cake... All it needs is some fava beans...

The REAL STORY....my friend made this cake for me last year. It wasn't a wedding cake. It DID end up being comic relief at a memorial service for my son. He passed away (in utero) when I was 31 weeks along and we had a memorial service on what would have been his 1st birthday. We were having a balloon release and butterflies always reminded me of him, so I asked for her to combine the two...and asked for the cake to be that color blue. Little did we know that the balloons would end up looking like sperm! For a day with a lot of emotions, this was HILARIOUS! We all referred to it as the "fertility cake". That very month I found out I was pregnant with my daughter (who was just born in March). The balloons looked a little funny, but it was DELICIOUS!!!

I'm normally a lurker, but my wedding theme was also blue & butterflies and my dear hubby's uncle claimed to have won awards at the OK sugar & cake thingie that is featured in Food Network every now and again. So, he gave us our wedding cake. We could have anything we wanted. I found pictures of a simple white on white square tiered cake from Martha Stewart with little butterflies. I cried and cried when I saw the finished cake. I just pointed out to my hubby of 8 years, "Look, honey! It could have been worse!"

What the...? Really? Those little squiggles by the butterflies HAVE to be sperms, right? I mean, what else can they be? And...umm...I'm pretty sure the bride wouldn't ask for spermies on her cake. Right?

I kind of see where they were going with a sort of Wedgewood inspired colour scheme, but somehow... nyet. I agree with those who suggested those are probably supposed to be balloons, which a lot of people consider festive, and not so hackneyed as the usual flowers you se on wedding cakes. But they really do register initially as sperm.

Actually, if they'd just gone with the butterflies, I think this would have been really pretty.

To the mother-I'm so sorry for your loss. That story completely took the fun out mocking the cake. But I'm glad that you were able to see the humor in it as well and that it gave you a laugh on what must have been a very sad day for you.

Thank you, Jenny. I really don't mind people mocking the cake. My friend (who made the cake) and I get a good laugh out of it often. It's a good memory on a bad day..especially with his 2nd birthday coming up on July 7th. My friend is actually an amazing cake artist...it was definitely not her fault it turned out so, um...strange. It was my bad idea. haha.

House of Collinsworth: hugs to you! I lost a child 11 years ago January. He was one of my triplets who were born at 24 weeks. You have my deepest sympathies. The pain never goes away but it does get better. I'm glad you have the cake memory to brings laughter to such a terrible day. My heart goes out to you. Blessings and Peace. Korrie~

I'm so excited for my cake to see!Decorated with tasteful nature scenes!Colorful butterflies all around,Simple balloons shall aboundBut alas, it shall not be so, For my cake was made by a werckorator, you knowIt's the kind of cake that would make a grandma squirm,For you see, my cake was covered in sperm!

i saw the blog today, oh boy.about a cake festooned with butterfliesand sad balloons that looked like sperm,it made a mother laughand now we know for sure balloons should never be put on a cakethey AL-WAYS mess. it. up.

Wow can I have all those poems please lol. The cake the wreckerators can keep though since I have no clue why butterflies and sperms would go together in any way shape or form. Unless they are implying that the bride and groom multiply like a butterfly? Lol.

The comments today were the BEST! I especially like the re-do of "A Day in the Life" by Anonymous! The butterflies are pretty. To "mom"---so sorry about your loss. Thank you for sharing your story, and congratulations on the birth of your daughter.

My little boy who is no longer with me would have turned six this year. While over time, it has gotten easier to say his name with a smile instead of tears, his birthday is always a hard day. I wish you peace, and love, and lots of snuggles from your "rainbow baby girl" for this week.

An anonymous commenter said that this cake was in honor of a boy who died. If that's true, that's sad. However, that doesn't mean this isn't a cake wreck. Wrecks are unintentionally funny, weird or sad cakes which were intended to be something else. And balloons have a long-standing tradition here of being made fun of. The sad story doesn't make the cake any less wrecky; if anything, it makes it more wrecky.

This is the kind of cake you get from a customer who doesn't take advice from the professionals!

The horrible color was probably chosen to coordinate with some horrible decorations or horrible bridesmaid dresses. I wouldn't be surprised if there are actual balloons and butterflies at the wedding, too.

This is the first time I've commented but I was completely intrigued by the story of this cake. House of Collinsworth: I'm so sorry for your gloss and glad you were comfortable sharing your story hear. I'm glad you were able to have a happy memory from that day and can acknowledge a wreck for what it is! I started reading your blog and found the part linking to your friend (the baker's) blog. I looked at the baker's website and she really does have some amazing cakes! I'm not saying this cake isn't a wreck, because as beautifully done as it is, it will always be a "butterfly and sperm" cake. However, check out her other great work: http://sugarandspicesweets.blogspot.com/

It looks like the sperm are CHASING the poor butterflies! The carnage! THE CARNAAAAGE! Oh, the insect-manity! XD Wait, wait, if one of the little guys manages to catch a butterfly, would that be "insect-icide"?

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What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

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